Danish filmmaker May el-Toukhy’s post-WWII drama “Woman Unknown” won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday, with its star Mathilde Arcel also taking best actress honors in a rare double victory.

El-Toukhy was the only woman to solely direct a feature film in the main, 21-strong movie line-up, a disparity that drew criticism during the festival and prompted renewed scrutiny of the barriers facing women in cinema.

Set in the aftermath of the Nazi occupation, “Woman Unknown” follows a housemaid played by Arcel whose past relationship with a German soldier threatens to destroy her future.

The film unfolds against the backdrop of a newly liberated Denmark, where women accused of fraternizing with occupying German forces were often subjected to vigilante justice.

“To me personally, ‘Woman Unknown’ is about the female body as a battleground and a public matter. And at the same time, the film tells the tale of women who are invisible, unseen, and voiceless,” el-Toukhy said in her acceptance speech.

John Malkovich named best actor

South Korean auteur Lee Chang-dong took the runner-up Silver Lion award for “Possible Love,” while Russian-born filmmaker Ilya Khrzhanovsky won best director for “DAU,” a hugely ambitious project shot largely in Ukraine before the ongoing war that has attracted intense scrutiny and controversy.

Khrzhanovsky, who has renounced his Russian citizenship and is a fierce critic of Moscow, dedicated his prize to Ukraine.

John Malkovich was named best actor for his performance as an aging, maverick CIA agent in Martin McDonagh’s........

© The Times of Israel